Scholarship
STEM+C Project Publications

Elementary students’ computational thinking practice in a bridge design and building challenge (Fundamental)

Intro

The increased focus on computational thinking (CT) has grown in recent years for various reasons such as a general concern about a) a lack of global competitiveness among American students and general literacy in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields (Shu & Cardella, 2013), b) maintaining the economic competitiveness of the U.S. (Yadav, Hong, & Stephenson, 2016), and c) preparing students adequately for a society that is increasingly technological (NRC, 2011). CT can help anyone analyze and understand multiple dimensions of a complex problem and identify and apply appropriate tools or techniques to address a complex problem (Wing, 2010). Furthermore, children can benefit from an improved technological literacy, content knowledge, and problem solving skills (Shu & Cardella, 2013) while practicing CT.

Abstract

This work in progress describes the design of a project-based, STEM +C (Computing) curriculum for 4th to 6th grade students in an afterschool setting, which is part of a large NSF-funded STEM+C project. The paper reports the preliminary outcome of the implementation of the first two STEM+C projects that focuses on student attitudes toward STEM and the computational thinking revealed during students’ scientific inquiry and problem solving processes.